WWE and Other Wrestling Promotions Fan Club

NXT Takeover: R Evolution

Okay, okay, okay. I know I said I wasn't gonna go back and post things that you guys have already watched, but I just had to share how I felt about this PPV. 

I finally got to watch NXT Takeover: R Evolution and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. This special was so much better than anything that's going on on the main roster right now. This was my first chance to watch Hideo Itami and Finn Balor (my new bae lol) wrestle and holy shit, they put on a show.

I wanna say they should just skip NXT and go up to the main roster, but from what I've seen from the NXT people that have been brought up recently (Paige, Adam Rose, Bo Dallas, Big E, The Ascension, Emma, Summer Rae), they should just stay where they're at now.

I know what you're gonna say - "But what about The Shield?! And The Wyatt Family?!" - I get it, I do. Those four guys (eh, maybe just the Shield - Bray's kinda there, but not quite there yet - ditto for Rowan and Harper) got lucky. They had a gimmick that worked for them and it took them to the top (well, almost to the top - Dean should be up there, but WWE seems to wanna screw him over and have him lose all his matches). For the others that I mentioned, the fact that they're just watered down versions of themselves *cough* The Ascension *cough* is classic Vince. Here's his line of thinking:

"Oh, these guys and girls are great? Well, let me just take them, give them stupid gimmicks (whether they came up with them theirselves or not) and screw them up so the crowd doesn't like them! Then I'll make more money! Yay!"

So, back to the point. I watched NXT Takeover: R Evolution and I loved it. From start to finish, it was amazing. I can see why the main roster was under so much pressure to perform well at the TLC PPV (though they didn't really deliver).

So, we start off with the debut of Kevin Steen - whoops, sorry - Kevin Owens. I watched a few of his matches in Ring of Honor (those guys produce so much talent, it's fucking ridiculous - I'll explain in a later post) and he was awesome. I was kinda worried that Trips wouldn't let him keep some of his moves in WWE because, well, aside from being a breeding ground for potential WWE stars, Ring of Honor is just a little more dangerous. However, they did let him keep some of his moves, which was a pleasant surprise. 

Okay, so Kevin Owens walks to the ring with tears in his eyes. I get it, I do - he spent 14 years working, scratching, and fighting his way up the wrestling ladder to make it to the big leagues - the WWE. He's emotional and honestly, it made me a little emotional too. However, he cut out all emotion when his opponent came out - the "Moonchild" (who the hell came up with that nickname anyways?) CJ Parker. The match didn't last long and Kevin got to use his patented corner splash (I don't remember the technical name for it at the moment - I'm writing this while doing homework and my cat is sitting on one of the books) and Parker did gain a slight bit of momentum by delivering a palm strike that drew blood (ouch), Steen - dammit! Sorry, Owens put him away with a fucking wicked lariat clothesline, a pump-handle into a knee strike and finished off the devastating combo with his patented powerbomb.  Done. 

I'm not sure if they mentioned this before the second match or not, but the NXT announce booth now has a new commentator - none other than the "Savior of Misbehavior", the always sexy Corey Graves. He mentioned that he would not be wrestling anymore because of too many concussions (which sucked - I was rooting for him), but that he got a second chance in the WWE. How many people can say that. especially in this company? 

Onto the second match. This was for the NXT Tag Team Championships. It was the Vaudevillains (I'm not sure if I like them or not - I know Simon Gotch is a Whovian, so I'll give him props for that) vs. the Lucha Dragons. For some reason, their "Lucha! Lucha! Lucha!" chant sounds a lot like the chant heard on Lucha Underground (another wrestling promotion that I will cover in a later post - after I watch it, of course lol), but it's all good. The match was pretty straightforward. I liked the part where Aiden English (I'm indifferent towards him) pushed his partner out of the way when the Lucha Dragons were flying towards them. The Lucha Dragons retained their titles. I can't believe those guys beat The Ascension.